Joy

"But the secret to JOY is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is."  ~Ann Voskamp

Continue searching for Him, in the pain, in the loss, in the mess. 
He is there, no matter our doubts, our fears, our blindness. 
He is. 
When we seek Him, we will find Him and find the joy He gives, right in the middle of it all.

Banners, Beauty & a Boy

I redid my banner last night following these easy instructions from Clover Lane. I just picked out a few pictures I had on hand when I had a few minutes last night. I think I will be making more of these soon!

I still need to work on some template ideas and to see about designing my own. Maybe after a nap!

I am terribly excited about this as well! Too cute!

St. Patrick's Day~Thankful for

A quiet tea time~


a cucumber sandwich on Irish Soda Bread


still warm from the oven
~
a pot of hot tea


curtains dancing in the cool breeze

Irish eyes are smiling.

Serious boys, too.

Thinking on These Things

Oh, what a beautiful Autumn this has been!

We've had a few light frosts~the end of the garden and flowers, but the temperatures during the days are delightful! Autumn makes my heart sing. I catch my breath just stepping outside, struck by the beauty and wonder of His creation. The leaves could just fall off the trees, but they don't. They reveal such amazing colors~~golds, oranges, reds. I am in awe. Growing up in Arizona, Autumn meant nothing as saguaros don't change colors.

What a contrast to Colorado! Beauty everywhere and lasting so long this year. I am grateful. Grateful for time to just enjoy the outdoors with my boys.

I am grateful for how He has provided so much for our family. All the canning has been a lot of work, but how blessed we are to have an abundance of food~food to enjoy now and to put up for later.

I am grateful for friendships. I've finally made some good friends after living here so long. My home was filled last week with the ladies from my Bunco group. The game itself, I could do without, but the friendships are invaluable. It's so nice to have women who care close by.

I was doubly blessed with friends last week. The Bunco ladies were over Tuesday night and Joanne came over for lunch on Wednesday. She is wonderful. I do wish we lived closer as we are on opposite ends of Denver. She brought over the most beautiful mums, football mums she said, in creme and taupe. They are still blooming and brightening our home.

I also got to visit with Janna on the phone on Thursday. I happened to be just down the road from her when she called me. She invited me to stop by. If we weren't just pulling into the grocery store parking lot and needing to shop and get home for lunch and naps I would have gladly stopped. That's a good friend whose just says come by with no notice!

I am so grateful for my Mom who loves me and my family. She had Date Night with the boys so Sweetheart and I could go out for a few hours together last night.

I am grateful to live in this great country that allows us to have some say in how we are governed. We may not always agree with each other on who should be in charge, but just think of how many others in this world have no choice. I am grateful for the privilege to vote.

I am grateful to have eyes to see, and ears to hear. Eyes to see the smiles, the flowers, the leaves, the beauty of it all. Ears to hear music, praise to Him, laughter, sharing, birds, talking, the joy in it all.

Thank You for opening the eyes of my heart as well. As I pause to give thanks, my heart grows with love. Amazing.

Endless Gifts

Shortly after I started blogging I came across Ann's "1000 Gifts" where she was posting about the things she was grateful to God for. She was listing them and keeping track planning to reach 1000 things. She has since passed that number, but continued with a grateful heart to praise Him from whom all blessings truly flow. She now refers to these as Endless Gifts and has encouraged others to join her in practicing gratitude.

I had started my own list long ago, but couldn't seem to remember what posts the lists were on and what number I was on, so I gave up. I decided to get my own act together and begin again. These will be simple posts were I want to give Him praise and to record the many things, little and large that He has blessed me with. I don't want to forget. Being someone prone to forgetting His mercy when hard times come, I want to have reminders for myself that I can reflect on in those times. I pray it may also by an encouragement to someone else as well. These lists won't be numbered, or I'd never get them done. They may be posted regularly, or not. I may be able to add pictures, but not always. All I know is that I don't want to neglect the opportunity to be mindful and give thanks. These things will be in no particular order.

Here's a link to Ann's Gratitude Community.

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* Sweetheart's sweet and strong heart. His love for me and the boys.

* Listening to Pumpkin sing "I'll Fly Away" as he lays his Bunny down to sleep.

* Finding the beauty in a day alone.

* Finding joy at the return home.

*This smile greeting me at breakfast.

* Watching the boys play together and love each other.

* The taste of a peach picked fresh off the tree.

* Roses and more roses.

* Creating beauty in my home.

* Being created by the One who loves beauty.